the crispier the skin, the better.

This is my first air fryer recipe, and I could not be more excited to share it with you all! As you may or may not already know, I am a pretty big proponent of easy chicken ideas. I just find “easy chicken ideas” to be the perfect weekday meal, whether it be for lunch or dinner– they don’t skimp on deliciousness, they’re simply recipes that come together quickly. And, “quickly” for SCD life still means you’re probably making some sort of spice rub, at the very least, since we don’t really rely on pre-packaged spice mixes which may or may not have unknown additives. Thus, “easy” can mean something entirely different to any person with a special or restrictive diet versus a person on the regular American diet.

That being said, I do think this air fryer whole roasted rotisserie-style chicken recipe does qualify for the “easy” label! But yes, you will have to make that spice rub from scratch.

However the spice rub is literally *the* recipe, and the fact that you’re cooking it in the air fryer makes for minimal cooking time and effort as well. But it’s all about the spice rub, obviously. The spices I opted for in this recipe include: paprika, salt, pepper, oregano, allspice, basil, cayenne pepper and coriander. It’s a very versatile recipe though, I used dried spices but if you have fresh you can always try subbing in fresh, and if you prefer a chicken with a stronger kick to it, simply add a hint more of cayenne pepper. If you love garlic, turn up the garlic heat by mincing a little bit of extra garlic. You get the idea.

I also created this recipe specifically to give me that store-bought rotisserie chicken vibe, which was indeed accomplished– the air fryer allows the skin to get crispy, especially when you clean and pat it dry before frying– while the meat itself is juicy and flavourful. You also should have some leftover ‘drippings’ in your air fryer pot post-cooking, which you can drizzle directly over the chicken once you remove it from the air fryer. So good. I do include some tips in the instructions/recipe below so as to help you on your perfectly-air-fryed-crispy-skin-chicken-eating journey, so please check that out below.

And I’ll say less. Grab the recipe below, and let me know how my first air fryer recipe share is! Tag me on IG @grainfreee if you make this and drop me a comment below.

A few related recipes if you’re looking for some delicious meal ideas:

air fryer whole roasted chicken: ingredients

1 small chicken (depending on the size of your air fryer – 3 lbs approx)
1 tbsp of salt
1 tbsp of paprika
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of dried oregano
1 tsp of ground allspice
1/2 tsp of dried basil
1/4 tsp of cayenne
1/4 tsp of coriander
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp of minced garlic

air fryer whole roasted chicken: how to

Start by mixing your dry spices together in a small bowl, save for the extra virgin olive oil and the garlic.
Once the spices are well mixed, clean and pat dry your chicken with a paper towel until you’ve removed as much outside moisture from the chicken as possible.
Cover the chicken well in the spice mix, top and bottom, wing crevices and all.
Place a parchment paper-esque basket into the inner-basket of your air fryer. I use an Instant Pot however if you don’t find the parchment paper necessary, you can skip this step– I find it’s really useful, not only for clean-up but to avoid the skin sticking too much to the pot and ripping. To make the parchment paper basket, simply cut off a large piece of parchment paper and cut slits with scissors at each corner of the sheet of paper, and place inside the air fryer basket– it doesn’t need to be perfect, just to help the skin avoid touching the sides. Alternately, you can use an SCD-legal cooking spray, if you have one.
Now, carefully place the chicken into the basket of the air fryer– I try to place it so it’s essentially sitting on its bum/wings down.
Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil across the chicken and add the minced garlic.
Place the lid on the air fryer and cook at 360 F for 45-50 minutes.
Once it’s done, carefully remove the chicken and replace it so it’s facing in the opposite direction inside the air fryer basket. Cook at 360 F for another 10 minutes, until it’s done and skin is perfectly browned and crispy — reaching an internal temperature of 165 F.
Remove from the air fryer and place on a serving dish. Optional but delicious: drizzle the drippings that have fallen inside the air fryer pot atop your chicken.

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